Other scientists and scholars' introductions, in full length, as
published in Ove von Spaeth's "The Secret Religion", VOLUME 4
of his book-series "Assassinating Moses".
-
In addition, the table of Contents of Vol. 4.

1

JES P. ASMUSSEN: INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME 4

This is a recommendation, a recommendation of an unusual piece of work, and
the adjective 'unusual' should be taken in the most positive sense of the
word imaginable. This is Ove von Spaeth's (fourth) book on the 'drama of
Moses and reassessment of a mystery'.
This is the essential
book about Moses, truly a revolutionary work - with codes that are
deciphered, and astronomic calculations that add up. A closely reasoned,
disciplined work, serious, and without letting the imagination run amok.
The work can be read as
an intriguing novel, even by laypersons, but it is imperative that knowledge
of this book is circulated far and wide so it can be assessed in its entire
epoch-making interpretation!
Unique topics such the
"Mystery of the Burning Bush", "The Magic of the Ass' Hoof", "The Secret
Religion", and many more, rightfully arouse additional interest in this work
that deserves to be read by many.

Jes P. Asmussen, Ph.D. et Theology, Professor, - of the Carsten
Niebuhr Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Copenhagen

2

BENT MELCHIOR & JENS JØRGENSEN: (APPENDIX:) CONTROVERSY ON THE
PENTATEUCH AS A SOURCE

The following two introductions apply separately and solely to the study in
the book's appendix regarding the controversy among researchers concerning
the Books of Moses, The Pentateuch, as a source:

"... I read the presentation with great interest. It is logically and
soundly structured and has many things to tell along the way - and my
compliments for that. ..."

Bent Melchior, Chief Rabbi of Denmark, and Rabbi for the Jewish
Community, Copenhagen

_

"... It is an exquisite pleasure to follow the line of reasoning, and
listing the points of argument is brilliant, to put it mildly.
The quoted passages are
well chosen. They are precise and appropriate and used in a manner so as to
logically correspond with the presentation's underlying idea. ..."

Jens Jorgensen, MA Historian, former Headmaster, external history examiner at the
Universities of Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense

P A R T 1 1: MOSES - THE FIRST FOUNDER OF A RELIGION11Moses
imitated by Pharaoh Akhenaton? - A hidden aspect of Moses' religion? 2: The Initiation Mysteries Underlying Moses' Religion
17Mystery
play, open and hidden. - Animal-skin outfits worn in the mysteries 3: The Mystery of the Burning Bush26Who
spoke from the burning bush? - The enigma of the 'king thorn bush' 4: The Magic of the Ass'sHoof
32The
unusual tradition of the ass in the mysteries. - A forgotten cult ritual? 5: The Mystery of the Name Yahweh41Moses'
initiation, under Egyptian auspices. - Egyptian models for "I am who I am" 6: Moses the Mystic50More
secret names for Yahweh - The mystical ban against pronunciation 7: The Secret Religion59
Concealed teachings of Moses' religion. - Jethro's influence and the invisible
god 8: The Mysterious Golden Calf of Egypt's Gold
70Did the
cult of the Golden Calf continue in secret? - The magic behind the Golden Calf 9: Moses the Prophet 82Urim and
Tummim and the twelve gems. - The first prophet10: Stars and Mystery Plays in the Book of Job 88The
mystery play with the devil's advocate. - The traces of Job in the Middle East11: Was Jerusalem the Original Holy Place? 102Changes
in the religion as early as the time of David. - Knowledge on the rightful holy
place12: Ancient Vestiges of the Religion's Repressed Superstructure
109The form
of cultic mystery within Moses' religion. - The oral tradition.13: Were Moses' Texts Altered?113Ezra
responsible for rewriting the Bible. - Rules against altering the texts came too
late14: The Curious Diminishing of Moses122
Alteration of the role of Moses. - Statistics indicating a falsification of
history?

P A R T 215: MOSES BEHIND THE MYSTERIES 129The
Aaron mysteries and the Moses mysteries.- The master builder and the cover of
heaven16: The Logos Perceptions139The Tree
of Knowledge, the Axis of the World.- The Son of Logos. - Sefirot and the
universe17: The Paradise Codes 146The
hidden methods for reading the Bible. - the secrets of the seven seals18: The Bible in Use as a Multidimensional Mystery Scripture159The
multiple layers of the Biblical texts. - The magical circle of the threshing
floor19: Celestial Mysteries Widespread Throughout the Bible 167The
rabbis and Biblical astrology. - Star codes in Homer, and Shakespeare, too20: The Secret of the Ark and the Basket 176Occult
content of the basket. - Dual meaning of the Ark.- Sirius in cosmology of the
initiated 21: Esoteric Celestial Geometry183The
asses' bridge and the keys to the cosmos. - Neo-Platonic and Hermetic
astro-philosophy22: The Mysteries of the Journey of Paul 193The
virtual celestial route of the journey of Paul - Astronomic dating hidden in the
account.

P A R T 323: THE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE FROM EGYPT 207
From the mystery of Jethro, via Gnosticism to the Renaissance.- The heirs to the
Gnostics24: The Lost Dimension of the Religion215
Traces of reincarnation in Jewish and Christian faiths. - Teachings put under ban
by a coup25: From Christian Cult to Blacklisting by the Church230John's
head - and the 'image worship' of the church. - The Bible blacklisted by the Vatican26: The Missing Keys245Star
knowledge in the church's foundation ad symbolism. - "Keys to the kingdom of
heaven"27: Moses and Corpus Hermeticum - rediscovered Egyptian wisdom252The
holistic outlook of Hermeticism. - The miracle at the handing over of the text28: Moses and Corpus Hermeticum and the New View of the World267Corpus
Hermeticum and the Bible. - Moses'/Hermes' wisdom during the Renaissance29: From Moses to the New Era290
Individuality and the responsibility of freedom. - Gnosticism's actual
rediscovery30: The Religious Heritage of Moses 305Will
Moses' secret teachings survive? APPENDIX: Bible research versus new orientation 311
- Bibliography 341-378

PREFACE BY AUTHOR: This re-evaluation of the time and status
of the historical Moses and the special inspirations behind his work - is based
on interdisciplinary scientific- and cultural historical research, connecting
archaeological findings, textual research, and astronomical dating - all being
evaluated in relation to the Bible, the Rabbinical Writings, and various
important authors of Antiquity.
Many handed-down sources
and findings have, for the first time, been put into a greater context all of
which should be judged in its entirety. The book is not based on
single sources or solitary decisions - rather,the focus is on the presentation
of a long string of clues and indications; these may be considered a "special
offer" to further research.
The book can be read
without previous scientific qualifications. It is not an attempt to present
Moses' "curriculum vitae", nor is it "documentary fiction", or a historical
account distributed in trendy reading form.
Annotations at the bottom
of pages or at special places have been left out in favour of coherence and
legibility. Instead, annotations have been continuously included in the
reading-matter. References of sources are given directly on the spot and may, as
you like, be passed over or used in further documentation just like summaries
and appendices. The intentional lack of other current annotation is compensated
for by a comprehensive bibliography with further substantiation of the
information given in the book. The bibliography has been divided into various
fields of subject matter in order to facilitate verification.
The British Egyptologist
Alan H. Gardiner's transcription of Egyptian names has been preferred.
Supplementary astronomical data are presented at the end of the book.

A number of researchers
and experts have from their separate fields of science most kindly contributed
with guidance, criticism, argumentation, and encouragement. Naturally, these
experts are not responsible for the way in which their information has been
used.

OVE VON SPAETH:The Secret
Religion
- Moses and the Egyptian Heritage in the Past and Present

Volume 4 of the series
"Assassinating Moses",

- Moses is the first known founder of a religion - and his teachings have
inspired several world religions. Ancient sources reveal that the religion
originally
included the 'mystery gold' from Egypt and the secret of the name of God ...Moses is the first known founder of a religion - and he has inspired
several world religions. Ancient sources reveal that his teachings
originally included the 'mystery gold' from Egypt and the secret of the
god-name.
Exclusive, cultic
knowledge from a mystical and cosmological superstructure of Moses' religion
is still evident in the Bible - and with connections to Egypt and coherences
which were not possible to demonstrate until now. Through the ages,
initiated individuals upheld these secret teachings which were passed
through Moses to the Israelites.
The Bible was also used a
mystery text by initiates and a special language was encoded 'within' the
biblical texts. This was later forgotten - but were there others besides the
traditional priests who knew the 'Bible codes'?
The 'Egyptian factor' has
been underemphasized in Biblical research, but now it can be widely
established as one of the most important prerequisites for understanding the
vital circumstances behind the oldest contents of the Bible.
Through later centuries,
lay-people were prohibited of reading the Bible which was placed at the top
of the "black list" (the 'Index...Prohibitorum') by the Catholic Church.
Prior to that, hidden teachings had reappeared in Egypt among Gnostics and
in the Hermetic doctrines which later contributed to the Renaissance.

The Volume 4 of the series on the historical Moses presents a
wide-ranging and controversial tracking down of some vital components of our
culture - with their origin in the history of ancient Egypt and its mark on
Moses' religion. But what truths can we draw from the text that goes back to
events that have taken place 3,500 years ago?
From his residence, the original basis in Egypt (ca. 1500 BC) Moses had
knowledge about Egyptian mystery religion - as well as the idea of selecting
only one god was known to him. This knowledge he incorporated into the new
religion which he established and passed on to Israelites at their exodus
from Egypt. However, his teachings eventually inspired several world
religions - in which to this day it is possible to find traces of Moses'
influence.
Moses is the first (known) founder of a religion and the present book, "The
Secret Religion", demonstrates, through its enlightening and thorough
investigations that Moses has included much of "the mystery gold" from
Egypt.
The author is our guide on this knowledge-journey to our cultural-religious
point of departure - and he synthesizes great many religious, historical,
and archaeological lines of thought. The reader is given insight on
historical causalities and further information on the background for the
origin of intellectual and spiritual sciences - and hence the religion that
was the result of Moses' new thinking.
Exciting lines are drawn between the
in many ways forgotten or even repressed parts of handed down knowledge
about the mystery cults' role of ancient Egyptian religion and also in later
times - otherwise difficult to understand - with its relics in both Judaism
and Christianity. '

The legacy of Egypt in the past and present
New data reveals Moses'
Unknown Egyptian Background:

- How widespread was monotheism originally?
- What did the speech from "the burning bush" mean?
- How is the information about the cult of the golden calf explored?
- Can influences of ancient astrological teachings
be found in the Bible?
-
Where are the traces of mystery teachings found in Moses' religion?

The influence of the ancient mystery cults continuously emerges in ancient
information about Moses and the old religions. The book takes a different
approach to reveal important clues of an early spiritual culture.
Recognizable features are still found in modern everyday language, customs
and laws. An unceasing, living heritage that also hands down unusual
material that in itself must perturb conventional circles.
Moses took an important treasure of knowledge when he left Egypt. Just
before the exodus, he and his people pillaged the temples and their
archives. Meticulous research now shows that this unusual knowledge can be
traced to Jews, Gnostics, Christian cults, and later on to the Knights
Templar and other historical groups. It appears that certain elements of
this knowledge contained cosmology and teachings about afterlife also
recognized in other great ancient religions.

Ancient world with connections to our own time
From the points of reference in the ancient world of the Egyptians to the
universe of the Old Testament - and continuing via Antiquity, the Middle
Ages and particularly the Renaissance up to our time - the reader will
experience a fascinating and captivating journey through the unique themes
of the book. The book's line of reasoning - new orientation,
thought-provoking and challenging to predominant fixed conceptions - is
refreshing and absolutely necessary.
Exceptional source material exposes several important, and previously
overlooked, Egyptian norms underlying Moses' religious project. Almost every
chapter of the book is like a minor treatise deserving an entire book for
itself, but which here provides an overall, larger context - comprising
several stimulating layers for reading and study.
The dramatic impression left by the first volumes in this series of books
about Moses already made it clear that the work itself "... represents one of
the most potentially explosive theses in the history of research on the Old
Testament and that it is the result of many years of serious, acute and
unprejudiced research...". Using impressive analytical inquisitiveness and
captivating commitment, Ove von Spaeth additionally enhances his competent
reassessment.

From 'the great teachings' to science
Moses serves as a distinct catalyst behind western culture's inspiration
from the Egyptian heritage. This inspiration is revealed in a surprisingly
new light through the book's constantly turning prism of history. A highly
fascinating account that presents information which is so rare and abundant
that you will go back to the book time after time.
A basis for the whole operation is Moses and his Egyptian adolescence and
knowledge - all that Moses passed on to the Israelites and their descendants
- with the Egyptian clues in the rear, including the ancient science,
medicine, and astronomy but also Egyptian mysticism, magic, and spell. Also
interesting views are offered concerning the very Semite language, the roots
of the words, and their possible 'hidden' messages - all that in particular
is keeping the reader on track.
The book opens to the biblical mysteries, entirely reaching the background
of the origin, leaving the raw essence clearly and distinctly. Through times
many have considered Moses and Jesus as being the exalted mentors in "the
great teachings" - the author draws thread through centuries of issues and
ideas. Each chapter is a blueprint for a lifetime of study. His knowledge is
summarized and attentive - he is a historian who dares to use also the
astronomy-related and mythological concepts and follow them through based on
exciting new tracks.

The secret of the god-name
The enigmatic god-name with the four mysterious letters jhwh (= Yahweh) has
been given an entire chapter in the book. Exciting lines to other Middle
Eastern religions are drawn, and the book refers to the few sources from
antiquity suggesting how the name has been pronounced. Normally, ordinary
people were not allowed to pronounce the name.
Also, according to the Law of Moses it was prohibited to produce images of
the Israelite god. This prohibition may have been based on deep experiences
on other religions from which there was known the risk of having idols at
all. When the god was 'living' in the picture, the picture was simply the
god for that moment. And if a god was to be eliminated it could be done by
destroying its image. In Egyptian religion genuine examples of this are
known, (likewise, e.g. also in the European accounts on the Vendic god,
Svantevit). But a non-depicted god might be considered as being of the more
eternal kind. The eternal Israelite god cannot and must not be depicted - by
which it may also be avoided that people honour the image instead of what it
represents.
The later account about Moses was that he, during his exile in Sinai, was
the shepherd by his later father-in-law, Jethro, the priest, is a familiar
story. But so far, it has been ignored that the term "shepherd" in this
context could mean something more than to take care of sheep and goats. Was
"shepherd" a religious title - to this day kept in the priestly title pastor
(= shepherd) and the crosier which was originally a shepherd crook?

Mystery plays
A chapter is illuminating an exiting conflict in the Bible's section with
the Book of Job, where Satan plays a significant role as God's opponent (one
of the few times in the Bible). From this rather special scripture parallels
are being drawn with other contemporary religions, and the
ancient-source-related explanation of many allusions to stars and
constellations in this scripture is suggested for its high relevance.
The certain kind of monotheism - the teachings of focusing on only one god -
which also was briefly introduced in Egypt by Pharaoh Akhenaton (Amenhotep
IV) with the failed reformation, shows some interesting similarities with
the early Israelite monotheism that there must be an impact in one direction
or the other. From the sources from antiquity it is deducted that Moses
lived ca. 150 years prior to Pharaoh Akhenaton.
. . .
According to the book's extensive material, it is strongly indicated that
the Bible, i.e. the Old Testament, is based on Moses' text and - even though
the priest Ezra later made some significant corrections in it - it is still
the base of belief to millions worldwide. Also this background relates to
the assumption that Moses existed as an important historical person in a
very specific period of Egyptian history; but historical evidence to this
effect have, so far, been understood to be so scarce that few researchers
conferred solid value on them.
However, a reality about Moses being much more than the academics' claim
reducing him to: "a myth
created to give Jewish traditions a pseudo-historical authority" - is now
meticulously illuminated by Ove von Spaeth with a classical scientific
approach in the analytical research. Thus, one of the main discoveries in his large-scale work on Moses
is that the commonly assumed dating of Moses has been created via wrong
premises.
Based on more ancient sources than previously seen, the
author dates the death of Pharaoh Tuthmosis (III) to have occured in 1455 BC
and, hereby, to coincide with the Israelite exodus from Egypt, - historically
the central point of Moses' life.

From Moses to ancient Christianity
The conventional notions of Moses and the contents of the Old Testament, of
course, are what Ove von Spaeth first have to break with, while he calls
attention to antiquity's view of the relationship between Judaism,
Christianity, and the Egyptian world of ideas.
Among the most famous Church Fathers, and ancient writers like Philo,
Josephus, Augustine, etc., many of them have written about Moses and Egypt,
as well as on Moses' influence on the contemporary Egyptian religious
thinking, and about the Old Testament's many parallels with this and similar
tracks in the New Testament: - fantastic testimonies of relevance.
The book illustrates also that in the ancient Church the Christian faith was
almost seen as a culmination and synthesis of a number of other
religious-philosophical movements, and that it was only in later centuries
the Church sought to expose Jesus as a completely new and isolated figure.
Prior to this there was a tendency to see some of the pre-Christians as a
kind of great spiritual and philosophical figures like Plato and Aristotle
in rolls as being truly foreshadowing the Christ.
Also, the book highlights several features in the development of
Christianity through the first Christianity, then its decay and, concerning
some parts, its ability to stay alive by secretly returning to its Egyptian
roots and seeking nourishment from these, and how this hidden side of
Christianity suddenly flourished by contributing to the Renaissance humanist
movement: - "The Egyptian factor", according to the author, was originally
clearly present also as a fundamental element in the living Christianity.
. . .
Through its immensely collected and often brilliant material the book
contributes to an essentially better view at the Bible's content of the
often weird cultic rituals, which otherwise could have made it harder to see
through the many exciting relations between the Egyptian, Jewish and
Christian world.
There are also shown a number of issues within cultic
practice and spiritual background that prevailed in antiquity and a long
time to come - from ancient Egypt to Greece and Rome, with a break in the
Middle Ages but revival during the Renaissance, having permeated the whole
period by cultic and mystery characterized thinking and also including
alchemistic and astrological ideas.
Among the causes of the
mystery cults' continued secrecy was that the preparations for the mystical
initiation often included rites which also could contribute to
liberation from conventional social ties, including Church's dogma. Now, the
present work with its name, "The Secret Religion" opens a fascinating world
for us.

SynthesisMoses' writings
became not only the main line of the Bible but led also to that his
doctrines became the world's first "literary religion." The Bible was for
several thousand years, and still is, the world's most widespread and
well-known book - and still, for innumerable people it is the most
significant and important book.
Although part of the
legacy of Moses seems intact, there are both in the past and present
committed several "attacks" on Moses and his texts precisely in areas where
his doctrines have lines back to the spiritual sciences’ traditions of
Egypt's past. However, in the extant texts in and outside of the Bible, as
demonstrated, several parts of a vital historical course will still be
possible to some extent to reconstruct and make "resurrected" - for
inspiration to present day man. Circumstantial evidence for the existence of
an original mystery cult superstructure of Moses' religion are being
presented by the book - to be further researched.
. . .
Moses was, evident
everywhere, the earliest "personal" bridge from Egypt's culture and spirit -
to the West Semitic culture image: a synthesis that characterized the later
ancient Greek and Judeo-Christian ideas. Both directions were also included
in the basis of European culture (with its Celtic-Roman influence) and thus
continually Western history of ideas.
Also from hitherto
unheeded, but historically valuable sources and angles, the book has also
been able to demonstrate a very close connection between ancient Egyptian
world view and a modern perceived realistic psychologically inauguration
that breathes new life and meaning in our religious perception. Thus, Moses
from 3,500 years ago can also through the author of this book contribute
with a life-giving source of modern humans ...
Among the reasons for the
mystery cults had continued secrecy was the fact that preparation for the mystical
inauguration often included rituals which also could contribute to the
liberation from conventional social ties and in particular Church dogma. But
now, a deeply fascinating world opens to us in this work with its name "The
Secret Religion".
The book's approaches
have - often through hitherto mostly ignored but historical valuable sources
and perspectives - also been
demonstrating a very close connection between the ancient Egyptian spiritual
world and a modern perceived realistic psychology of inauguration breathing
new life and meaning into our religious views. Therefore, Moses from 3,500
years ago can also through the author of this book contribute to a
life-giving source for modern man ...

* * * *

- More about the contents: Information pointsconcerning this Volume 4 of the series
"Assassinating Moses"

A special treasure of knowledge and wisdom
of Greece, Rome, and the Renaissance had originated in Ancient Egypt -
and was here known to connect also with the historical Moses' dramatic
fate and mystery.
Ove von Spaeth has
written an intriguing, new-orientating work presenting this still
influential background of our civilization. • His interdisciplinary
research on history, archaeology, and anthropology goes deeply into
Egyptian tradition, history of religion, initiation cults, star-knowledge,
and mythology - relating to biblical studies, the Rabbinical Writings,
and the authors of Antiquity. • Each volume offers unique insights not
presented before.
Special information is
presented by clicking on the individual cover illustrations: